Sidewalk air and light grating.



E. BERSON.

' SIDBWALK AIR AND LIGHT GRATING.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 27, 1913.

Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

II if I II II II I II II jI I II II If II II jl II TI jI II II jl I ii'llz'au Bear's an W/ T/I/ESSES A TTOR/VEIS ELLIAS'BERSON, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

SIDEWALK AIR AND LIGHT GRATING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

Application filed December 27, 1913. Serial No. 808,978.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELLIAS BnnsoN, a subject of the Czar of Russia, anda res1- dent of the city of New York, Astoria, borough of Queens, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Sidewalk Air and Light Grating, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to gratings especially adapted for use in sidewalks for permitting light and air to pass into basements and cellars,'although the invention may be used in other ways.

The general objects of the invention are to improve and simplify the construction of gratings so as to be reliable and etlicient in use, extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture and of durable and substantial design.

Another object of the invention is to provide a grating which affords the maximum area for the transmission of light and air therethrough and at the same time preventing the accumulation of dirt in the spaces or openings thereof, and preventing slipping of the feet of persons Walking over the grating.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a grating composed of parallel bars connected together and spaced apart by means of connecting and spacing elements which have lugs on their ends that enter openings in the bars and are riveted thereto by means of such lugs, the grating being built up of sections or units each consisting of a bar and a set ofconnectors and spacers thereon, and these units are successively riveted together, whereby the grating is made progressively section by section.

With such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description pro-. ceeds, the invention comprises various novel 1 features of construction and arrangement of parts, such as will be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying illustrate one embodiment of the invention and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, Figure 1 is a plan view of the grating; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion thereof; Fig.3 is a perspective view of two sections or units before they are riveted together; Fig. 4 is an drawings, which end view of the grating; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the bars of the grating; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the connectors and spacers used between the bars.

Referring to the drawing, the grating consists of any desired number of parallel bars 1 set edgewise to a horizontal plane so that the sides of the bars will be vertical. These bars are rigidly secured together in spaced relation by combined spacers and connecting elements 2 which are disposed at right-angles to the bars, and these elements between'two adjacent parts being spaced longitudinally of the latter, so that rectangular air and light spaces or openings 3 are provided between every two adjacent bars 1 and between every two adjacent elements 2. These elements 2 are, as shown in Fig 6, preferablyrectangular or square blocks of substantially the same gage metal as the bars 1, and on the and edges 4 of the blocks 2 are rivet lugs 5 which are adapted to enter openings 6 which, like the lugs 5', are rectangular in outline. 'lhcse lugs 5 are longerthan the gage of the bars 1, so that the projecting ends of the lugs can be peened'down or upset so as to form rivets, whereby the connecting and separating elements 2 are rigidly fastened to the bars 1. In vertical dimension the blocks or elements 2 are not as deep as the bars 1, so that more light and air can pass through the grating, and the said elements 2 are so positioned that their upper edges (5 will be flush with the upper edges of the bars, whereby the top of the grating will present an even surface for enabling walking thereon, and the bars 1 will be approximately an inch. apart, while the elements will be. about three inches apart, more or less. The elements 2 between any two bars 1 are staggered with respect to the elements between the ,adjacent bars, whereby the grating presents a pleasing appearance, and besides the design is simplified and rendered more substantial.

In constructing. the grating the bars 1 are simply punched with the openings 6 adjacent one edge,-and the blocks or con nesting and spacing elements 2 cut or punched to the desired size and shape. Units are next made, which consist of one bar and the required number of elements 2 therefor. The elements are riveted to the bar so as to constitute a unit. In Fig. 3 a

designates an end unit and a the second unit, which is in position to be applied to the first or end unit. The unit a is applied to the lugs 5 onthe unit a, and all these lugs are then upset or peened down by means of a hammer, and when the unit af is completely fastened to the unit a in this manner, the third unit is applied to the unit a, and this method is pursued until the grating is completed. The units can. be made with great rapidity as all the elements 2 for each unit can be placed in a suitable holder in proper spaced relation, so that the bar of the unit can be placed on the elements 2, with the lugs thereof entering the openings 6 of the bar, and after the parts are thus assembled the said entered lugs are upset or peened. The manner of connecting the units together can be carried out with as much ease and despatch as the making of the units, so that all the operations can be easily, quickly and inexpensively performed. The parts are made from straight stock and all that is necessary is to cut and S punch or trim the parts, all .of which can be done by suitable machinery, the only hand work necessary being the assembling of the parts which go to make up the unit, and then the joining of the units together. The members or blocks 2 have the further function of reducing to a minimum the tendency of the feet to slip in walking over the grating, as without these blocks 2, or if they were lower than the top edges of the bars 1, the feet might slip along the bars.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and While I have described the principle of operation, together with the structure which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the. structure shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A sidewalk grating comprising bars ing of the bars and riveted thereto, the upper edges of the bars and blocks being in the same plane, whereby the blocksprevent slipping ofshoes longitudinally of the bars.

2. A sidewalk grating comprising bars arranged side by side in parallel and spaced relation, said bars having apertures extending therethrough and disposed adjacent their upper edges, and connecting and spacing blocksdisposed between every pair of adjacent bars, said blocks having lugs extending into the opening of the bars and riveted thereto, the blocks between each pair of bars being staggered with respect to the blocks between adjacent bars, and said blocks being of less vertical dimensions than the bars, the upper edges of the bars and blocks being in the same plane, whereby the blocks prevent slipping of shoes longitudinally of the bars.

3. A sidewalk grating consisting of'a plurality of units, each unit consisting of a bar having extending from one side thereof a plurality of connecting and spacing blocks spaced apart longitudinally thereof, and each block havin a lug extending from the side edge thereo and each bar having an opening between each pair of blocks, wherebythe lugs of one unit can enter the openings of the adjacent unit, and said entered lugs being upset for permanently fastening the units together, the upper edges of the bars and blocks being in the same plane, whereby the blocks prevent slipping of shoes longitudinally of the bars.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELLIAS BERSON.

Witnesses:

CHATTIN BRADWAY, PHILIP D. ROLLHAUS. 

